Taxes, Winter, and Mud

Winter Forest by J. Binford-Bell 

Winter returned this week in measured doses. It shared time with spring. Yesterday it snowed about six inches and melted by afternoon. It did that about five times. Snow then what locals fondly call Mud and Flood. It seemed a good time to do taxes.

I hate doing taxes. Even though I pay someone to do them for me I have to prepare the year to take in. I can generally get the that done in under four hours even counting clearing off the library table to have a place to sort the receipts. My disgust with the process last year resulted in a desk top box with very visible folders to sort things into as received. That helped. A couple years before I had developed a spread sheet with all the necessary categories listed. That is also a great help.

This year, however, I still hated it. I had an epiphany though. I think what I hate is reviewing the year on a monetary level. I have mastered cash flow but not cash stay. And it always amazes me in hindsight how much money I have spent. I reduced expenses for the business - good news. Income for art sales - was down on paper. I expected that. Rental income up. But there were the dying Astro van bills, and the infamous tooth extraction. Both painful things to remember. Paying car registration fees twice in 2011.

Time to grab the camera and record another snow fall. Procrastinate by spending hours in my dry darkroom. The computer was expensed in 2010 but it needed repair in 2011.Then back to another hour of milestones in expenditures. My life in Blick Art receipts. Put on boots to wade through the casual stream of melting snow to drag in firewood. Back to tallying Artisan receipts. Plugging in numbers on that spread sheet.

So in review what I want for 2012 is more happy memories in black and white and dollar signs. And I really want to appeal to RBS, and Hobby Lobby to put more ink in their registers. It would be nice to read them with our ruining my vision.

This morning taxes are off to accountant, car is off to have front brakes worked on (please let it be just that), more mud in my immediate future but small price for living paradise. And before winter bows out no doubt there will be more snow, and more mud. Time to focus on the April/May Photographic exhibit at the Angel Fire Visitor's Center, and making happy memories.

BTW there was one great set of receipts. Those for the vacation with my sister in October. Time to plan the next.

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